Quick-release buckle



Oct. 18, 1960 A. KLEIN 2,956,324

QUICK-RELEASE BUCKLE Filed Oct. 16, 1957 INVENTOR F1 N N KL E IN W 5 HTTURNEZY UnitedStates- Patent QUICK-RELEASE BUCKLE Ann Klein, Miami, Fla.,- assignor ti-Underwater Sports, Inc., lvliami, Fia.,a.corporation of Florida Filed Oct.16, 1957, seems; 690,466

'1 Claim. (Cl: 24-230) This invention relates to fastening devices and, more particularly, to fasteners or buckles for securing the opposite ends of flexible articles such as belts, parts of harness, bracelets, chains and the like.

The fastener or buckle is peculiarly adapted for use in fastening the ends of belts and the ends of parts of harness worn by skin divers under water where time is of the essence in opening the belt or harness parts and wherein manipulation of the fastener or buckle must accordingly be a simple operation.

A principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a fastening device that is adapted to be quickly opened or released for separating the fastened ends of the article.

Another object of the invention is to provide a twopart fastener or buckle openable or releasable by moving one part relative to the other at an angle.

A further object is to provide a two-part fastener or buckle wherein the parts are interlocked and released by an angular sliding motion of one part relative to the other part.

Still another object is to provide a two-part fastener or buckle so constructed that the normal pressing forces produced by the body of the user when worn tend to interlock the parts more securely.

It is also proposed to provide a fastener or buckle that is simple in construction and that can be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a fragment of a belt with a buckle embodying the invention applied to the ends thereof.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the buckle removed from the belt.

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the buckle, looking from the top thereof.

Fig. 4 is a similar view looking from the bottom.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the buckle with the parts partly separated.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the buckle with the parts completely separated.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the plane of the line 77 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the sections of the buckle.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a buckle or fastener 10 embodying my invention is shown in Fig. 1 for the purpose of illustration as fastening the ends 11, 11 of a belt 12. It will be understood that the buckle or fastener may be used for fastening the ends of a variety of flexible articles, such as parts of harness, bracelets, chains and the like.

" PatentedOet. 18', I550 ICE The buckle or fastener 10 is shown as made of plastic material but may be made of any suitable material, such as aluminum, sheet metal and the like. The buckle comprises two complementary sections or parts 12 and 13 of substantially similar configuration. and each includes a substantially rectangular plate 14 formed with a straight end edge 15 and a slanting end edge 16, at a substantially 20. angle. The plate 14 is formed also with a pair of spaced transverse slots 17, 17, to facilitate its attachment to the belt 12 and the like.

Adjacent the slanting edge 16, the plate 14 of section 12 is formed with an enlarged slanting portion 18, which portion merges into a reduced neck portion 19 connecting the enlarged portion with an enlarged cylindrical edge portion constituting a pin 20 circular in cross section. The neck portion 19 and cylindrical edge portion 20 terminate short of the bottom end of the plate providing a clearance 21 thereat.

The plate '14 of section 13 is slightly shorter than the plate 14 of section 12 and along its slanting edge 16 is formed with a 'hollow tubular enlargement constituting a socket 22, circular in cross section, open at one end and formed with a slot 23, extending from the top thereof to a point slightly spaced from the bottom thereby forming a stop or seat 24 at the bottom thereof. The interior of the socket 22 is about the same size as the exterior of the cylindrical pin 20 so that the pin is adapted to fit snugly in the socket.

In use, one of the ends 11 of the buckle 12 or the like is inserted through one of the slots 17 in one of the buckle sections, for instance, section 12, and looped around the adjacent straight end edge 15 and fastened in the usual manner, and the other end of the belt is similar- 1y connected and fastened to the plate 14 of section 13. In order to fasten the belt around the waist of the Wearer, the buckle sections 12 and 13 are placed in superposed relation such as shown in Fig. 6 whereby endwise movement of one section toward the other will cause the enlarged cylindrical slanting edge 20 of section 12 to slide into the tubular slanting enlarged end 22 of section '13, the edges 25, 25 of the tubular end 22 riding on the neck portion 19 of section 12 until the bottom 26 of said enlarged end 22 seats on the seat 24 of tubular end 22 whereby the sections are interlocked and the belt tied in position. The clearance 21 on section 12; facilitates initial entrance of the edge 23 thereof into the tubular end 22 of section 13.

In order to unfasten the belt, pressure exerted in opposite directions upon the respective belt sections 12 and 13, or downwardly on section 13 or upwardly on section 12 as viewed in Fig. 1, will cause separation of the sections along the slanting end edges 16, the enlarged tubular end 22 sliding over the enlarged cylindrical pin 29 of section 12 until the end 22 is free of the end 21 as shown in Fig. 6.

By reason of the construction of the buckle, when the sections are interlocked they are connected rigidly against accidental movement or adjustment out of line, and themore pressure is exerted upon the buckle sections longitudinally of the belt the tighter the interlock and the:

more secure the fastener.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and that various changes and modifica-- tions may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim asnew, and desire to secure by United States Letters- Patent is:

A rectangular buckle comprising two substantially rectangular-shaped inflexible plate-like sections, each section.

having a straight end, an inflexible slanting end disposed at substantially an angle of twenty degrees to a line parallel to the straight end and a plurality of transverse slots for fastening the end of a belt and the like to the platelike section, the slanting end of one section being cylindrical in shape and solid constituting a cylindrical pin, said pin terminating short of one edge of the section providing a clearance thereat, the slanting end edge of the other section being cylindrical in shape and hollow constituting a socket, said socket being open at one end and closed at the other end, and having a longitudinal slot therealong terminating short of the closed end and intersecting the open end for fittingly and slidably receiving the cylindrical pin of the other section in interlocking relation to define a rectangular buckle assembly whose sections have straight aligned longitudinal edges, said clearance afiording a space to receive the unslotted end of the socket, said pin and socket being separable only by relative transverse pressure on the sections directed parallel to the axes of the pin and socket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 796,414 Chayes Aug. 8, 1905 887,586 Calhoun May 12, 1908 1,467,465 Wiedmann Sept. 11, 1923 2,688,507 Ashworth Sept. 7, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 8,670 Great Britain Apr. 13, 1898 Mail 

